Ethanol's dangerous new blend

Car companies claim anything higher than a 10 percent blend of ethanol and petrol will damage your car. Now for the bad news: the Australian Automobile Association says some NSW service stations are pumping petrol with double that blend of ethanol.

03 October 2002Bob Jennings

Car companies claim anything higher than a 10 percent blend of ethanol and petrol will damage your car. Now for the bad news: the Australian Automobile Association says some NSW service stations are pumping petrol with double that blend of ethanol.

"More than [10 percent] would cause a risk of corrosion in the fuel lines, degradation of rubber fuel hoses and cause driveability problems," said Holden's executive director of engineering and design, Tony Hyde.

"Although we engineer our cars for export to the Brazilian market where there is 24 percent ethanol in the fuel, there are extensive changes and we can't calibrate our engine management systems to cope with either no ethanol or 24 percent," he said.

The use of ethanol in petrol is being promoted to assist the Australian sugar industry, ethanol being a by-product of the sugar refining process.

The Federal Government has encouraged a trial in Queensland in which BP has provided premium unleaded petrol with a 10 percent ethanol blend, and is at present determining a policy on the use of the product.

However, BP admits there is a 2 to 3 percent higher fuel consumption with the blend.

Three of Australia's major automotive industry and consumer bodies have urged the Federal Government to support a maximum limit of 10 percent of ethanol in petrol and not to mandate its use.

They are the Australian Automobile Association, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the Australian Institute of Petroleum. The AAA has claimed some fuel outlets are selling petrol containing up to 20 percent ethanol.

The organisation's executive director, Lauchlan McIntosh, says the government has no choice other than to act immediately to protect consumers.

"Motorists may, unknowingly, be voiding their vehicle warranties and that is totally unacceptable," he said.

Adding ethanol to petrol produced no benefits and was driven by big business interests, according to Professor David Pimentel of New York state's Cornell University, speaking in Canberra.

He claimed ethanol industries were uneconomic and relied on subsidies that ended up with big business, not farmers.

"There's no indication anywhere in the world where ethanol production is economic and/or energy positive at all," Professor Pimentel told ABC Radio. "In fact, all ethanol production has been subsidised."

The Opposition has urged the government to limit ethanol blending in petrol to 10 per cent and make labelling at service stations mandatory if the level exceeds 5 percent.

The FCAI, representing car-makers and importers, had determined existing warranties could support an ethanol level of up to 10 percent, said the chamber's chief executive, Peter Sturrock.

He warned ethanol levels in excess of 10 percent would place Australia outside world's best practice and seriously affect overseas makers' abilities to build cars for the Australian market.

The Federal and Queensland governments are to continue supporting the fuel trial.